College Football Week 9 Best Bets

It's starting to get real in the bid for NCAA football playoff positions. This Saturday afternoon will see four games pitting teams ranked in the top 25 against one another. Dreams will go up in smoke as the wheat continues to be separated for the chaff in pursuit of a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The Action Never Stops

They are getting down to the nitty gritty in the battle for college football supremacy, and you can tell based on the lineup of games slated for this week. By the time you sit down to Saturday supper, you will have witnessed not one, not two, not three, but four – count ’em, four – games matching teams ranked among the top 25.

No. 2 Penn State clashes with sixth-ranked Ohio State in a battle for Big Ten supremacy. Fresh off a rousing triumph over arch-rival USC, No. 9 Notre Dame tangles with No. 14 North Carolina State. Fourth-ranked TCU will look to maintain its unbeaten status in a Big 12 tilt against No. 25 Iowa State. In another Big 12 showdown, No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 22 West Virginia might burn out all the bulbs on the scoreboard by the time these two teams are done scoring.

Let’s take a look at how you should wager on these high end contests, based on odds offered by Bovada.lv.

You look at this game and your first thought, with good reason, is bet the over, even though the total is set at 73. The Cowboys are second in the nation in points per game (48) and first overall in yardage gained from scrimmage (611). Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph is first in the NCAA in passing yardage (2650) for the top-rated passing offense (392.7 yards per game). Receiver James Washington is also No. 1 in the NCAA in yardage gained per game (130.6).

The Mountaineers are no slouches with the ball. West Virginia rates No. 4 in passing offense (364 yards) and QB Will Grier is seventh in the nation in passing yards (2467). He’s completed an NCAA-high 15 touchdown passes to wideout David Sills.

With all this offense, the difference in the outcome will actually be defense. Oklahoma State has allowed just 26 points in its last two games against Baylor and Texas and has forced 12 turnovers.

Might the Irish be ripe for a letdown after an emotional rout of the Trojans? The Wolfpack’s No. 6 rush defense (3.4 yards per carry) should fare better at slowing Notre Dame’s sixth-rated rushing attack, averaging 317.9 yards per game, forcing Irish QB Brandon Wimbush to the air perhaps more than Notre Dame would like.

Something has to give between these 6-1 teams. North Carolina State has won six in a row, while the Irish are on a five-game winning streak, and home field provides them a slight edge.

Much like Oklahoma State, everyone watches the Nittany Lions’ offense, which features a pair of Heisman Trophy contenders in running back Saquon Barkley and QB Trace McSorley. But don’t sleep on the Penn State defense. They are the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 9.6 points per game.

Winning over Michigan and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks won’t be easy, but this Penn State team is the real deal and will carry the day in Columbus.

The last two years, the NFC South has produced that side's Super Bowl representative and there's a very good chance they could make it three in a row this year. The Atlanta Falcons are contenders, the Carolina Panthers are on the rebound, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are up and coming and all of the sudden, the New Orleans Saints are the team to beat.

You think Buffalo Bills fans have had it rough, dealing with an NFL-long playoff drought that extends back to 1999? Well, you might want to talk to Buffalo Sabres fans. The Sabres have told the faithful, to be patient as they build from within, yet the team still hasn't seen the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2011.

The successful history of the Los Angeles Dodgers was written around great pitching, from Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale through Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser, to Clayton Kershaw. But can the Dodgers go toe to toe on the hill with the deep pitching staff of the Houston Astros in the World Series?

If the Dallas Cowboys were going to be challenged for the NFC East title this season, most figured it would be the New York Giants doing the challenging. Instead, it's the 5-1 Philadelphia Eagles out front and if they beat the Washington Redskins Monday night, they will be atop by three games.